AFS Programs: France Summer Language Study

During this program, I grew as a person, global citizen, and in the French language! The camp was amazing and we got to do so many fun activities like going to the beach and exploring cities around us. I also had a huge improvement in my language skills thanks to the classes we took on campus. I made lifelong friends from around the world as well! It was truly a once in a lifetime experience!

In December of 2025, I had no plans of studying abroad; everything seemed to expensive or out-of-reach. It was half-way through that month that my French teacher approached me with an opportunity to pursue a scholarship that funded the majority of this program. Upon winning that scholarship (on my birthday!) and another financial aid tuition cut—all thanks to the amazing AFS donors who made that possible—I was given the chance to attend this program. Together with 24 other people from the United States, we were thrown into a whole new world. As would be an expectation by anyone who had never experienced an opportunity of such a scale before, the beginning of the program was difficult. It was easy, at this point, to only see what was negative about being in France at that time: the rooms were hot and muggy, I was unsure of my roomates, and I hadn’t slept well because of adrenaline. It was the end of June of 2026, and I had only just began my month-long program; I couldn’t wait for July to come faster. Almost exponentially, in a sense, my experience of the program skyrocketed in a good direction. Simultaneously with all the enjoyment and excitement studying abroad brought me, I learned to enjoy things that were different from what I was used to: we learned work-arounds to cool off the dorms at night, I learned to see the dorm bed as my own and finally be able to rest and process what was going on, the people around me developed too—we were all in it together, and those fellow attendees became some of the best friends I’ve ever made. Come the time of my graduation in 2028, I want to continue what I started this summer and pursue a degree in France at university. I’ll never forget my time in France. To whoever happens to be reading this—either adult or youth—the risk is worth it: the heat, the stress, fear, were all worth it. Life is far too short, and the world is far too divided to never see it all. Take the chance if you have it!

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